There is a typical semiconductor device including a package and a semiconductor chip sealed in the package. For example, an IC (Integrated Circuit) chip provided with a driving circuit for driving a power element such as a transistor and a diode is provided as the semiconductor chip in the package for a power module serving as the semiconductor device. In the manufacture of the semiconductor device, there are cases in which the traceability of the IC chip for use in the semiconductor device is required.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-8327 (1999) (Patent Literature 1), an identification code for identifying an individual IC chip is provided on a package. Examples of the identification code used in Patent Literature 1 include a manufacturing lot number and a semiconductor wafer number for a semiconductor wafer during the manufacture of IC chips, and coordinate locations of individual chips in the semiconductor wafer.
In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-213464 (1996) (Patent Literature 2), a fuse element provided on a chip is cut by a laser beam, based on the result of measurement as to whether the chip in a wafer state is good or not. Thus, identification information for identifying whether the electrical function of the chip is good or not is recorded on the chip. The chip may have an external terminal for electrically reading the information recorded on the fuse element to the outside.